I can take the engineering position as well as Gunner if that position is available, or Ulysses and Electra can team up to board ships. :)

You can be a gunner if you want, there's nothing wrong with having a boarding team...as long as we can get a teleporter =D

Lustful Bride, your application is rich in detail, character, and quality. I had read it over beforehand and needed only the formality of you telling me it was done to accept it. Well done, I am certain Meg will be a great addition to the Kestrel's crew.

The poll has been updated, a simple but straightforward one - how smutty should this story get, folks?

Belisuavious, your character is simple and yet unique, and I enjoyed reading about him. I will consider your application's length in raw word count as the baseline requirement for the applications. Well done, and welcome aboard.

Application complete! It's been edited into my earlier post, but I'll list it again for convenience.

Zev Wulfrun, Artillery

Name: Zev WulfrunRace: HumanSex: MaleOccupation: Kestrel, Artillerist

Appearance: Pale, lean, and with a furtive gleam to his clever eyes, Zev looks as if he’s descended from a long line of deceitful advisors and treacherous viziers – an air that isn’t exactly ameliorated by his meticulous grooming and carefully measured words. To really top things off, his taste in accessories and equipment is also suspiciously expensive: he possesses a set of gold-plated pens, a masterwork las-pistol, lavish taste in clothes, and no forthcoming explanation as to where this wealth comes from.

A shimmering Rebel insignia adorns his left hand, though on this one occasion his explanation is innocent enough: he was once left stranded behind enemy lines when Rebels unexpectedly stormed a spaceport, and quickly adopted the glimmering tattoo to blend in with enemy sympathisers. Surprisingly, his story was actually verified by the Federation’s military police, though it’s anyone’s guess why he hasn’t had the tattoo removed since. Maybe he thinks it might be come in useful? Maybe the glowing ink was really expensive to get? Or maybe everyone’s been questioning his integrity for so long, he’s taken to deliberately goading his detractors.

Like most Federation personal, Zev keeps up with the regimented physical requirements, though there are some unexpected reserves hidden in his otherwise lean body: Zev’s grip is as strong as a vice, and he has the reflexes of a caffeinated serpent. He’ll never be able to stand against a professional gunner, far less an inhuman Rockman or Mantis, but it’d still be a mistake to underestimate him, especially if an enemy comes between Zev and his path of retreat.

Personality: “If a mad scientist merged the DNA of a sewer rat, a venomous snake, and a corporate lawyer, they’d probably end up with another Zev Wulfrun.” So reads an annotation on Zev’s service record. It says a lot that all his superior officers agree with the sentiment; it says even more than Zev genuinely thought it was a compliment.

Cautious, shrewd, cold, and adaptable: Zev is a creature that acts through degrees, preferring to worm his way to success through a thousand no-loss scenarios rather than one almighty roll of the dice. It’s a philosophy that’s served him well, and while meticulousness and pragmatism mightn’t be the most endearing of qualities, it’s kept him alive. Many people suspect him of cowardice, and some have even gone so far as to vocalise their disdain, but he nevertheless makes for an excellent choice of artillerist: in every tactical simulation he’s undertaken, Zev proves the old adage that a fox’s cunning can kill more than a wolf’s savagery. With a detailed understanding of Newtonian physics, ship architecture, and almost every weapons system the Federation has developed, Zev is good at what he does, and this singular fact keeps his skills in demand, even if the man himself has a black cloud cast over his name.

Despite his cruel and clinical approach to bloodshed, Zev isn’t aimlessly malicious. There was a time when he actually believed in things, not least of all principles, but the rebellion has since left him world-weary and bitter. The knowledge that he joined the losing side has only entrenched his languid cynicism further, and merely surviving the Federation’s impending defeat seems to be his primary objective (though personal enrichment comes a close second). Zev can still be depended upon to operate a ship’s offensive systems, of course – far better than most, he’d be hasty to add – but it’s unlikely he’d ever hold his ground in a firefight prior to hell freezing over. As he sees it, he's really more of a survivor than a soldier...

Biography: It’s hard to say whether Zev is the luckiest or unluckiest person to ever serve in the Federation. Of the last six ships he’s served on, five have been met with catastrophe, and every time he’s managed to escape unscathed. The disasters are on his service record for all to see: Farlonix IV, where the rest of the crew were eaten by a hideous bog-creature; Tannoy Station, where a group of intriguingly muscled courtesans turned out to be Rebel commandos in disguise; the Black Reef Nebula, where a pirate’s missile blasted the airlock controls right after the captain vented all the oxygen to extinguish a fire… and these are just the first three.

This constant misfortune – and his uncanny ability to escape when his peers don’t – has led many officers to cast aspersions on his courage, loyalty, or both. Despite his dubious record, however, the Federation Investigate Unit has cleared him of any substantial wrongdoing on every occasion, and never saw fit to suspend him from active duty. Still, his reputation is blighted to say the least, and the whispers and glares at his back are becomingly increasingly overt with every unfortunate incident he survives. Zev, for his part, has long since ceased to care what others think, though the caprices of fate and the distasteful necessities of war have left him disillusioned and ruthless.

He wasn’t always like this, though. Back when the rebellion first started, there was still a certain decency to Zev, a genuine desire to do good. Born to a large but financially stable family, we was afforded a good education at one of the more civilised planets, and eventually attained a respectable position in a research firm that developed mechanical prototypes. It’s entirely possible that he might’ve ended up heading a research grant of his own one day, but all this was cut short in the lead-up to the rebellion. As political unrest became increasingly widespread, the Federation began aggressive recruiting potential artillerists – in essence, anyone who could calculate a vector and spell ‘thermodynamics’. Zev was inevitably drawn to the lucrative employment prospects and, thinking the unrest would blow over in a few months’ time, signed up with the Federation.

From there, things got progressively worse for both the Federation and Zev personally. Political disunity escalated into the near-collapse of the Federation, and full blown rebellion. Zev’s ship went from enforcing gunboat diplomacy to travelling into live warzones, where the other ships actually shot back. Zev witnessed atrocities, then acts of retribution that were every bit as repugnant. Terrible things happened on a seemingly arbitrary basis: bad luck on Farlonix IV, an idiotic captain on Tannoy Station, an unavoidable tragedy in the Black Reef Nebula. Luck and a ‘risk adverse’ personality kept Zev alive throughout, but it has left him jaded and disenchanted: as far as he can tell, cowards outlive heroes, looting is an excellent pathway to wealth, and cruel men win wars over good men. These life lessons haven’t exactly had a positive impact on Zev’s personal growth as a human being.

Since then, there have been several more tragedies and an equal number of suspiciously fortunate tales about how Zev survived. They are extensively documented who any and all who wish to read them (the findings for the Federation Investigative Unit are public documents), though many captains remain sceptical about his loudly proclaimed innocence. Still, so long as there is a Federation fleet left, there’ll be a pressing need to kill a lot of Rebels, and Zev’s skillset ensure that he’s rarely idle for long.

I've listed him as part of the Kestrel crew, but really, either ship's fine if things get crowded.

Updated my application. Please consider this version the complete one.

Name:Electra Logan

Race: Human

Sex: Female

Occupation: Kestrel - Gunnery / Engines

Appearance: Electra is lean and athletic with a pale complexion that seems to accompany all spacers. A tattoo with her former mercenary company sigil is visible on her upper arm and the scars from previous fights can also be seen on her bared flesh.

Personality:Having spent time as part of a mercenary crew, Electra is not afraid of a fight, and most of the time is expecting one. It was a bleak fact that violence so often accompanied the work and she learned to deal with it. Sure a peaceful resolution is preferable but when the weapons come out the scenario becomes either you or your opponent, and then there is no hesitation. She is not particularly bloodthirsty, dislikes cruelty or torture of any kind, and displays more of a ruthless calm, accepting of the violence around her as a fact of life.

She is not racist towards other species in the galaxy, having both served alongside and fought with non-human races.

Given that fortune can be fickle, Electra makes the most of any down time, either spent on ship or preferably in a safe port. She drinks, gambles and indulges in more intimate activities realizing that the day may come when she is no longer able to, so she is going to make the most of the time now.

Electra is always armed with either a pistol or a blade of some sort and she is not afraid to use either.

Biography:Electra Logan is a spacer. She earned her keep originally as part of a merchant vessel, learning to keep ships running with a particular interest in engines. One of the ships that she was on was attacked by slavers and she was taken as a hostage only to be liberated some time later by a mercenary crew who had been hired to fight slavers. Electra eagerly joined the crew in order to gain some measure of revenge on slavers. She found that she enjoyed the excitement of the mercenary life and started to expand her skill set, adding boarding actions to her skill set.

When the Rebellion broke out, loyalties within the mercenary company became strained as various members of the crew leaned towards the Federation while others supported the Rebellion. Electra left the company when it became clear that the ship was going to side with the Rebellion and joined up with the Federation, taking advantage of an amnesty offered to increase recruits.

It just so happened that she was waiting for an assignment when a call was put out for volunteers for an important assignment.

Reposting CS with requested changes. any other changes you would like oh great powerful GM?

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Name: Samuel KingstonRace: HumanSex: MaleOccupation: Kestrel PilotAppearance: at 6'5 and 210 Sam is firmly normal for his height. He is somewhat muscular, but not ripped. He has a symbol tattooed on his left breast that derives from an old Terran culture to serve as a testament to his fallen family. He walks with a slight limp due to the injury that left him at the helm of the ship instead of boarding and killing some rebel scum like he would prefer.Personality: Sam is a kindhearted but serious man, he has a strong dedication to the federation and a seething Hatred towards the rebellion that gives him strength to continue. Besides all this he is a smart tactical man and loves to be friends with everyone on the shipBiography: Sam was once a family man, retired from life as a pilot in the federation to be with his wife and young children, that all changed when the rebellion started. His home planet of Lestarn was one of the first targets, being one of the planet's most heavily populated with non-human life. His wife and daughter died in the massacre, and fueled by rage Sam jump aboard the closest transport to take him to the fight. he fought and killed many rebels as a member of the boarding party until he sustained a wound to his tendon which left him as a pilot, he quickly adapted and rose in the ranks. after his last ship was destroyed in dock by the rebels he made his way to the federation and was stationed on the Kestrel as the pilot, for he was by now one of the best pilots remaining.

Name: Samuel KingstonRace: HumanSex: MaleOccupation: Kestrel PilotAppearance: at 6'5 and 210 Sam is firmly normal for his height. He is somewhat muscular, but not ripped. He has a symbol tattooed on his left breast that derives from an old Terran culture to serve as a testament to his fallen family. He walks with a slight limp due to the injury that left him at the helm of the ship instead of boarding and killing some rebel scum like he would prefer.Personality: Sam is a kindhearted but serious man, he has a strong dedication to the federation and a seething Hatred towards the rebellion that gives him strength to continue. Besides all this he is a smart tactical man and loves to be friends with everyone on the shipBiography: Sam was once a family man, retired from life as a pilot in the federation to be with his wife and young children, that all changed when the rebellion started. His home planet of Lestarn was one of the first targets, being one of the planet's most heavily populated with non-human life. His wife and daughter died in the massacre, and fueled by rage Sam jump aboard the closest transport to take him to the fight. he fought and killed many rebels as a member of the boarding party until he sustained a wound to his tendon which left him as a pilot, he quickly adapted and rose in the ranks. after his last ship was destroyed in dock by the rebels he made his way to the federation and was stationed on the Kestrel as the pilot, for he was by now one of the best pilots remaining.

In the advanced Edition, has anyone ever found a use for the Backup Battery system? I got it once on the first AE playthrough but never really found a use for it. besides Ion storms, and i think the Ion storm still hindered the BB as well